Railway-switch.



PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

H. R. LUTHER.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

APBLIOATION FILED SEPT. 1. 1905.

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UNITE HENRY R. LUTHER, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RlLWY-SWITCH.

Specification oLetters Patent.

Patented May 22,' 1906.V

Application filed September 1,1905. Serial No. 276,732.

To al?, 1,071,077@ it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY R. LUTHER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newton, county of Middlesex, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying the same.

My invention relates te a railway-switch wherein the body of the switch has a tongue pivoted therein and so arranged as to be moved laterally.

The obj ect of my invention is to provide a pivot for the tongue of a switch so constructed and arranged that lost motion due to wear on the pivot of the tongue incident to its use may be taken up.

Another object of my invention is to produce a tightening device that will tend to pull the pivot-stud down and at the same time tend to press the heel of the switchtongue against the abutting ends of the track-surfaces.

A further object of my invention is to provide a method for securing the tongue of the switch so that it can be replaced with a new one when worn out or broken without dis turbing the body of the switch.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved device, showing the pivot and the tightening device. Fig. 2 is a partial longitudinal sectional elevation through line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation through line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the wedgeplate forming a part of the tightening device.

In the drawings, 1 represents the body part of the switch.

2 is a portion inserted in the body part to form the treads and guides of the switch.

3 is the tongue of the switch.

4 represents the point of the switch, and 5 the heel portion, which has formed upon it the downwardlyprojecting lug 6.

7 is a groove in the lower end of the lug 6, adapted to receive the wedge-plate 8. The wedge-plate 8 is shaped to conform to the inclined surface 9, formed on the body part 1.

10 is a tapering key which is inserted in holes in the said body part 1 and is provided with an inclined surface on one edge adapted to fit against the inclined surface of the end of the wedge 8.

`11 is an adjusting-screw, which is revoluybly mounted in a lug 13, forming a part of the boX 14. The box 14 is secured in any suitable manner to the body part 1.

12 represents check-nuts Vthreaded and mounted upon the adjusting-screw 11 and senve to hold it in its properly-adjusted positlon 15, 15, and 16 represent short rail-sections which are secured to the body part of the switch by the cast-metal portions 17 17.

The operation of my device is as follows: A semicircular socket is formed in the portion 2 of the switch adapted to receive the circular heel portion 5 of the switch-tongue 8. There is also a hole formed through the body part 1 and the portion 2 of a size to receive the lug 6. When the tongue is in place, as is shown in Fig. 2, the wedge-plate 8 is inserted so the recess 18 will straddle the neck of the groove 7 and bear upon the lower Wall of said groove. Said wedge-plate 8 when in place will bear upon the inclined surface 9 on the body part, so that when it is pressed into the circular groove 7 its lower face will press against the lower wall of said groove, thereby pulling the switch-tongue down and at the same time tending to press it back into its socket. After the wedge-plate 8 is inserted the key 10 is inserted in its bearings and against the outer end of said wedge-plate 8 to press it into the groove 7, and thereby retain the pivot 6 of the tongue 3 firmly in position.

I do not limit myself to the exact form of groove or wedge-plate shown in the drawings, as the form may be changed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1 In a railway-switch, a body part; a switch-tongue pivoted in said body part and' laterally movable therein; a pivot-stud on said tongue; a groove in said pivot-stud and means arranged to enter said groove to pull down the pivot-stud and press the heel ofthe switch-tongue against a socket formed by the abutting track-surfaces.

2. A railway-switch comprising a body part; a switch-tongue pivoted in the body part and laterally movable therein; .a pivotstud in said switch-tongue; a wedge-shaped plate arranged to pull downwardly on the tongue and press it against the ends of the IOO abutting track; and an adjustable tapering IIO down and press it against the ends of the 6. ln a railway-switch, a body part; a vabutting track. switch-tongue pivotally mounted in said 15 4. A railway-switch, lcomprising a body body part a wedge-shaped adjusting-plate part; a laterally-movable pivoted tongue; a arranged to adjust the tongue vertically and 5 wedge-shaped plate arranged to pull the longitudinally; and means for adjusting said tongue downwardly and press it against the wedge-shaped plate. y abutting track; and a taperingadjusting-key. f In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 2o 5. A railway-switch, consisting of a body my hand, in the presence of two subscribing part; a tongue pivoted in said body part; a witnesses,this 31st day of Augst,A. D. 1905.

1o wedge-shaped adjusting-plate arranged to HENRY R. LUTHER.

pull the tongue downwardly and press it end- Witnesses: wise ;V a tapering adjusting-key; and an ad- R. P. ELLIOTT,

justing-screw W. L. OBRIEN. 

